Analyst: Shusha Congress new milestone for Azerbaijani identity
Political analyst Tofig Abbasov has described the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis, held in Shusha on April 22-23, as a new milestone in the formation of Azerbaijani identity.
He emphasized the symbolic significance of the congress in his article published in Day.Az, describing it as a modest approach that emphasizes the magnitude of Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia in a 44-day war in 2020.
According to the author, each nation and community have its own set of symbols that are sacred and untouchable. Symbols unite, unify, and ethically bind people, and gravitational centers form around them.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's decision to hold the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Shusha, Azerbaijan's cultural center, is significant in this regard, Abbasov said.
President Aliyev stated at the previous congress in 2016 that Azerbaijan will liberate its territories from Armenian occupation, despite some skepticism in some circles about this statement.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, was preparing to liberate its internationally recognized territories. There was an increase in military and economic potential, as well as moral preparation and reorganization of the nation's capabilities.
When the time came, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive, clearing its territory of Armenian terrorist groups. When nations are able to prove their identity on the battlefield, they grow spiritually and morally. For a long time, Azerbaijanis had to put up with Armenian arrogance and presumption, eventually kicking Armenian radicalism, misanthropy, and obscurantism in the teeth.
So the Shusha congress fits very organically into the context of the victory Azerbaijan gained in the 44-day war.
"We did not declare war on Armenia, nor did we seize its territory. And the fact that global Armenians, with the help of their intercessors, took up arms against us in an attempt to corner and trap us was the result of ignorance and arrogance. Many Caucasians had no idea who was causing trouble, and those who did claimed that everything had changed. Consider our northern neighbors, a group of Russian journalists who convinced us that Armenians had lived in Karabakh for thousands of years," the author emphasized.
President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the opening of the Shusha congress, specifically referred to the Kurakchay Treaty of 1805, an official document, and recalled that the name of Panahali Khan is listed under the contract, and there is not a single point that speaks about Armenians. During those years, there was no trace of them.
Before and after the Russian-Persian war, Armenians began to migrate to Azerbaijani territory. According to the Russian historian Shavrin, more than a million Armenians in the Caucasus were displaced by the empire after the Russo-Persian war and partly by the Ottoman Empire in 1910.
The Victory Congress is significant for Azerbaijanis because it marks a new turning point in the history of Azerbaijani identity. Azerbaijanis, both inside and outside the country, are brothers and sisters who are always thinking of their motherland. They aren't indifferent to what's going on in their birthplace, how it lives, and where it stands.
"As representatives of the victorious nation, we now have a different task to complete. At the same time, I want to emphasize that we should not base our actions, plans, and priorities in the country or around the world on the Armenian factor. The Armenian factor will gradually fade into the background of our victories. It's already in their path. We surpassed it with our victory, our noble ideals, and our justice," the author emphasized.
Azerbaijan is home to people of many ethnicities, including thousands of Armenians, yet there is not a single Azerbaijani in Armenia. This is a moral portrait of two peoples, two identities.
Azerbaijan’s image is healthy, and meaningful, in contrast to Armenian Nazism, which cleansed Armenia (almost 90 percent of which consists of historical Azerbaijani territories) of all non-Christians and other identities. Today it is a mono-ethnic country that considers itself great and civilized; however, the facts say otherwise.
The Shusha Congress is of historical importance. Azerbaijan is indeed entering a new phase of its national development and the nation's intellectual potential should be the key to addressing all challenges. Now other historical obligations also lie ahead of the Azerbaijani people, such as the restoration of Karabakh and the return to the liberated lands.
“All this is a matter of our intellect, our moral and volitional qualities. I think this congress will give a very big impulse of confidence to every Azerbaijani, regardless of which country in the world they live in. And most importantly, I repeat, we should not measure our actions with the Armenian factor,” the expert highlighted.
Today Azerbaijan is successfully integrating into the world but integration into the international community is a process that has a beginning but no end. Azerbaijani people should not be satisfied with what has already been done but should increase their successes and dividends. The dividends are followed by a new wave of confidence, a margin of safety is being created for the national security, the harmonious development, and the successful implementation of tasks related to human capital.
“There are many other problems in the world that need to be addressed and some of them become a burden for Azerbaijani people as well. It is necessary to correctly respond to new trends and to all transformations, in order to always be ahead of events, and not just catch up with them, Abbasov emphasized.
“Our great Victory has shown that we are able to set ourselves great tasks and solve them, overcoming very difficult obstacles. This is the essence of national identity. We are able to ask ourselves very important questions - who we are, where we are going and what should be our priorities for the future,” the author added.
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